Sage grouse are particularly dramatic, as they puff out their chests and shake inflated air sacs. On some leks, it’s not unusual to see several dozen male sage grouse puffed up in all their glory. The season is winding down, but you can still catch grouse in many locales.

The Grizz in Springtime

Photo: Matt Miller/TNC

After a long winter’s hibernation, the grizzly bear emerges – and starts feasting. Beat the crowds and head to Yellowstone National Park to catch the action. The bears will be feasting on winter-killed bison and green grasses.

The northern roads in the park are open year round, and also offer excellent bear (and wolf) viewing. Wildlife watchers are a friendly lot; ask folks where they’re having the best sightings.

Bison, elk and other animals will be having their calves, too. Keep your eyes open: one year, I was able to watch a bighorn ewe having a lamb on a steep rocky cliff. One of the joys of visiting Yellowstone is there’s something new on every visit.

Ground Squirrel Safari

Ground squirrels are fun critters to watch, but for many species, the window is short. They’ll emerge from hibernation early spring, but by July, they’re back underground. Unlike Punxsutawney Phil, ground squirrels go back down their holes (and into torpor) when it gets too hot.

Columbia ground squirrels, for instance, are above ground only about 4 months a year. The rest of the time, they are in a state of dormancy underground.

North America has a great diversity of ground squirrels and other members of the squirrel family: 66 species including tree squirrels, flying squirrels, chipmunks, marmots and prairie dogs. Seeing all of them would take you to the most dramatic national parks, mountain peaks, redwood forests and other natural wonders in the western United States.

While birding hotspots can get a bit crowded, I guarantee you’ll have ground squirrel viewing sites to yourself.

I’ve hosted several avid mammal watchers from around the world on their search for endemic ground squirrels, including the Piute and Idaho ground squirrels found near my home. Seriously, I have.

Of course, where there is prey, there are predators. And the emergence of ground squirrels brings coyotes and badgers and rattlesnakes. And, of course, raptors…

Raptor Frenzy

Raptors are on the nest, and soon they’ll have squawking babies to feed. Now is a great time to watch them on the hunt.

And fight: when several raptors are in one area, it’s not unusual for dramatic battles over dead ground squirrels or other prey.

On one outing to a local canyon, as a prairie falcon snagged a ground squirrel, only to be chased by a harrier and two ravens. When the falcon dropped the dead squirrel in mid-flight, a golden eagle swooped in and calmly took it away.

Mayfly Mayhem

This one is popular among fly fishers, but pretty much ignored by other naturalists. I’m not sure why: a hatch of spring mayflies is a great spectacle every nature enthusiast should experience.

Mayflies are to my mind one of the most beautiful insects. They live as nymphs much of the year, then emerge as adults, lay their eggs and die. Some live 48 hours or less. So short is their winged phase that the adults don’t even have mouths.

There are a lot of mayfly species, and some hatch throughout the year. But during spring and summer, you can catch mayfly hatches that come off in huge waves. As they emerge on a river’s surface, trout devour them.

Every fly fisher lives for that moment when the water looks like it’s boiling with trout. But there’s also a lot going on in the air, too: songbirds, long-eared owls, ducks and bats all feast on the mayfly abundance.

Waterfowl & Wetlands

Sure, the big migrating flocks of fall and early spring are spectacular. But right now, ducks are setting up their nests and the males are in their full breeding plumage.

I’ve found that certain species – cinnamon teal and canvasbacks, to name two – seem much easier to view at this time of year. And it’s a fantastic time to photograph birds.

The classic place to look would be the prairie pothole country of the Dakotas, where wetlands still dot the grasslands (but they’re being lost at an alarming rate). The National Wildlife Refuge system offers opportunities to view ducks and other wetland wildlife. And even many city parks will have an interesting variety of species for you to identify and photograph.

If you enjoy some waterfowl photography, don’t forget to buy a Federal Duck Stamp – the proceeds have conserved 5.3 million acres of wetlands around the country.

Where the Baby Bison Roam

Bison herd. Photo: Matt Miller/TNC

A baby bison is on its feet and running (or, at least, stumbling) with the herd within ten minutes of being born. And they’re being born right now, making this an ideal time to see and photograph the great herds.

The protection of bison is one of conservation’s greatest success stories. You can now see herds on many national parks and other protected areas.

But for your spring bison trip, why not head to a Conservancy preserve? The Conservancy has bison on a dozen preserves across many prairie states.

Nature’s Chorus Line

Get up before dawn one morning, and head out to the local patch of woods near you. Sit in the dark, and listen. Listen as the first robin calls out in the pre-dawn, and then as an increasing numberof birds adds their own songs.

Listen for the rat-tat-tat of a woodpecker pecking, the screech of an overhead red-tailed hawk. Jump when a turkey gobbles. And when the sun rises high, let the sounds lull you into a nap.

Or, if you’re not a morning person, head out in the evening: sit by a pond or wetland, and listen to the spring peepers or western tree frogs, depending on your locale.

If you’ve picked the right spot, the little amphibians might seem almost deafening. Crack open your favorite beverage, kick back, enjoy the show. And start planning your next natural history adventure.

Matthew L. Miller is director of science communications for The Nature Conservancy and editor of the Cool Green Science blog. A lifelong naturalist and outdoor enthusiast, he has covered stories on science and nature around the globe. Matt has worked for the Conservancy for the past 14 years, previously serving as director of communications for the Idaho program.
More from Matthew

I think you should have included “The Biggest Week in American Birding” at Magee Marsh in NW Ohio. The little gems of nature, the warblers, were literally dripping off the trees, many at eye level, some with a few feet of the boardwalk.